Behavior: Who Gets the Children?

Until recently, if the father got custody of the children in a divorce
case, most onlookers concluded that the mother had done something
pretty dreadful. No longer. Divorce lawyers and family experts around
the country are reporting a new byproduct of Women's Lib: the growing
tendency of courts to give custody to fathers.

Though many state laws make sex irrelevant in determining custody,
judges have traditionally taken the view that only mothers can give
youngsters the attention they need. The theory has been that mothers
are inherently better fit to provide care and are...